System and method for flavoring food

ABSTRACT

A system and method of flavoring food includes a metering tray coupled to a frame. The metering tray may be configured to hold a food flavoring. A metering roller also may be coupled to the frame. An exterior axial surface of the metering roller may define a plurality of indentations, which may be configured to capture the food flavoring as the metering roller rotates. The system may also include a metering blade and a displacement; each may be coupled to the frame. The metering blade may be configured to level the food flavoring as the food flavoring is dispensed by the plurality of indentations of the metering roller as the metering roller rotates. The displacement blade may have a plurality of teeth that are configured to correspond to the plurality of indentations. The teeth may be configured to positively displace the food flavoring as the metering roller rotates.

This application is a U.S. national phase application of InternationalApplication No. PCT/US2011/024105, filed Sep. 8, 2011, designating theUnited States, which claims the benefit of U.S. Appl. No. 61/302,446,filed Feb. 8, 2010, the contents of which is are incorporated herein byreference in its their entireties.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure generally relates to flavoring food, and moreparticularly to systems and methods for applying a controlled amount offlavoring to snack foods.

BACKGROUND

Many commercially available snack food items include seasonings or othertoppings of one form or another deposited upon their surfaces. Examplesof such snack foods include potato chips, which can be seasoned withsalt, barbecue flavoring, sour cream and onion flavoring, cheese-basedtoppings, etc. Corn chips and other snack food items, such as pretzels,corn puffs and popcorn, can be similarly seasoned. In addition to thesavory snack food items just described, sweet snacks commonly are toppedwith powdered and granular sugars, decorative toppings, and the like.

Toppings can be applied to snack food items in a variety of ways, forexample the topping may be dispensed onto snack food items, which aretumbling in a rotating drum. The tumbling action of the snack food itemsaids in the even distribution of the topping over the entire contents ofthe drum.

Commonly used savory snack food seasonings and toppings exhibit avariety of physical properties, which govern their behavior during thedispensing operation. Flour salt, the finely powdered salt used as atopping for potato chips, is extremely dry and free flowing. Thus, thistopping tends to rapidly pass through dispensing equipment, and its flowmust be carefully metered and regulated to avoid over-salting the snackfood product. Sour cream and onion toppings (as well as cheese-based,dairy-based, and oil-based toppings in general) are relatively moist andtend to resist free flow through dispensing equipment. These relatively“clumpy” or “sticky” toppings tend to clog dispensing apparatus and areprone to intermittent, uneven flow.

Thus, one important attribute of a topping dispensing equipment is theability to dispense, in a controlled, evenly regulated manner, bothfree-flowing and sticky toppings. The even distribution of seasoning andtoppings is important to many aspects of the snack food productionprocess. First, even distribution is essential to providing a uniformappearing and tasting product. Further, uneven or wasteful toppingdispensing can adversely impact the economy of the manufacturingprocess. Finally, over-topped and under-topped items may need to bediscarded to avoid inconsistencies in the final, packaged product.

SUMMARY

Embodiments of the present disclosure generally provide a system andmethod of flavoring food, for example snack food. The system may includea metering tray coupled to a frame. The metering tray may be configuredto hold a food flavoring. A metering roller also may be coupled to theframe. An exterior axial surface of the metering roller may define aplurality of indentations, which may be configured to capture the foodflavoring as the metering roller rotates. The system may also include ametering blade and a displacement; each may be coupled to the frame. Themetering blade may be configured to level the food flavoring as the foodflavoring is dispensed by the plurality of indentations of the meteringroller as the metering roller rotates. The displacement blade may have aplurality of teeth that are configured to correspond to the plurality ofindentations. The teeth may be configured to positively displace thefood flavoring as the metering roller rotates.

An embodiment of a method for flavoring food includes depositing a foodflavoring into a metering tray. A plurality of indentations may capturethe food flavoring. The plurality of indentations may be defined by anexterior axial surface of a metering roller. The food flavoring may bedispensed onto a food product from the plurality of indentations as themetering roller rotates beyond a metering blade. The metering blade maybe configured to level the food flavoring. The food flavoring may alsobe dispensed from the plurality of indentations using a displacementblade having a plurality of teeth. The plurality of teeth may correspondto the plurality of indentations.

In one embodiment, the systems and methods of the present disclosureallow consistent application of food flavoring to a food product. Theamount of food flavoring can be precisely controlled by controlling therotational speed of the metering roller in accordance with embodimentsof the present disclosure.

In addition, sticky food flavoring may be applied without the use of aflow agent, and embodiments of the present disclosure may substantiallyreduce waste of food flavoring.

Other technical features may be readily apparent to one skilled in theart from the following figures, descriptions, and claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

For a more complete understanding of this disclosure and its features,reference is now made to the following description, taken in conjunctionwith the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is an isometric view of a seasoning system according to anembodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of a portion of the seasoning systemshown in FIG. 1;

FIGS. 3A-3D are illustrations of the seasoning applicator shown in FIG.1 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIGS. 4A-4B are alternate embodiments of the metering roller accordingto embodiments of the present disclosure; and

FIG. 5 is a flow diagram illustrating a method of flavoring food inaccordance with embodiments of the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The present disclosure generally provides systems and methods that maybe used in a variety of food flavoring applications. For example, sugaror other types of toppings may be applied to cereal, and toppings may beapplied to bakery items, such as bread, cookies, crackers, and the like,consistent with the teaching of the present disclosure. Also, the amountof seasoning applied to snack foods can be precisely controlled, inpart, by adjusting the rotational velocity of a metering roller inaccordance with the teachings of the present disclosure.

It should be understood that the diagrams and flow charts shown in FIGS.1-5 are for illustrative purposes only and that any other suitablesystems or methods could be used in conjunction with or in lieu of theillustrated diagrams and flow charts according to embodiments of thepresent disclosure.

Referring to the drawings, and particularly to FIG. 1, a seasoningsystem 10 is shown. The seasoning system 10 may be used to apply avariety of different seasonings to a variety of different types offoods. For example, seasoning system 10 may be used to apply dryseasoning, such as salt, to potato chips. The seasoning system 10 mayalso be used to apply lactose-based seasonings, such as cheese, sourcream, French onion, etc., to potato chips or snack foods. The seasoningsystem 10 may also be used to apply sweet flavoring to sweeter snackfoods.

The seasoning system 10 may include a seasoning feeder 15 and aseasoning applicator 20. The seasoning feeder 15 may include a hopper25. The hopper 25 may hold the seasoning to be fed to the seasoningapplicator 20. The hopper 25 may also include a low level sensor thatindicates when the hopper 25 is low on seasoning and needs to berefilled to ensure uninterrupted operation of the seasoning system 10.In certain embodiments, the low level indicator may trigger an automaticfilling operation to refill the hopper 25 with seasoning. In otherembodiments, the low level indicator may trigger a manual refillingoperation. In operation, gravity may act to move the seasoning from thehopper 25 into a dispenser 30, which is coupled to the hopper 25. Incertain embodiments, the hopper 25 may be easily removed from thedispenser 30 for cleaning, maintenance, repairs, etc.

As shown in FIG. 2, the dispenser 30 may prepare the seasoning to bepassed to the seasoning applicator 20. While the seasoning is in thedispenser 30, paddles 40 may act on it. The paddles 40 may be coupled toa drive shaft 50 that may be driven by a feeder motor 45. A feedercoupling 55 may couple the drive shaft 50 to the feeder motor 45 andallow the power of the feeder motor 45 to be transferred to the driveshaft 50. The speed at which the paddles 40 rotate through the seasoningmay be adjusted by changing the speed of the feeder motor 45. Thepaddles 40 may break-up any clumping in the seasoning. Clumping of theseasoning may be referred to as bridging of the seasoning, and it may becaused by moisture retained by the seasoning or that the seasoning hasaccumulated in the hopper 25 and/or the dispenser 30. The paddles 40 mayalso be angled toward an exit port of the dispenser 30 such that themotion of the paddles 40 directs the seasoning toward the exit port.

A base 65 may also be coupled to the dispenser 30. The base 65 may bemade of non-metallic material to reduce wear, and it may mount to thedispenser 30 using one or more quick disconnect couplers. The base 65may be easily removed from the seasoning feeder 15 to allow the hopper25 and the dispenser 30 to be evacuated. Once the seasoning is removed,the hopper 25 and the dispenser 30 may then easily be cleaned.

The motor 45 may also drive an auger 35. In an alternate embodiment, onemotor may drive the auger 35, and a second motor may drive the paddles40. The drive shaft 50 may be coupled to drive sprockets 70, whichtransfer power from the drive shaft 50 to a drive belt 75, which in turntransfers the power to a drive sleeve 80. The drive sleeve 80 may becoupled to the auger 35 by any suitable method, for example a quickconnect. Coupling using a quick connect may allow the auger 35 to bedisconnected without using tools. This may facilitate easy removal ofthe auger 35 for cleaning and changing seasoning. The rotational speedof the auger 35 may be increased or decreased depending on the seasoningdelivery needs of the particular application.

The auger 35 may receive seasoning fed through the hopper 25, operatedon by the paddles 40 and moved through an exit port of the dispenser 30.The seasoning may travel on the auger 35 through a distribution tube 60.The distribution tube 60 may have one or more slots 90 that allow acertain amount of seasoning to fall through. The slots 90 may beoriented at an angle that allows an even flow of seasoning to bedispensed throughout the length of the distribution tube 60. In someembodiments, the slots 90 may be located such that the seasoning may bedispensed through the bottom of the dispenser 30. In other embodiments,the slots 90 may be located between five and eight degrees from thebottom of the dispenser 30 in the direction of rotation of the auger 35.In accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure, theseasoning may fall through the slots 90 and be received by the seasoningapplicator 20, where the seasoning applicator 20 may evenly andcompletely coat a snack food with the seasoning.

FIGS. 3A-3D illustrate the seasoning applicator 20 according to anembodiment of the present disclosure. The seasoning applicator 20 mayinclude a metering tray 95. The metering tray 95 may be locatedunderneath the distribution tube 60, such that it receives the seasoningthat is dispensed through the slots 90 of the distribution tube 60. Themetering tray 95 may be coupled to a frame 100 and may also serve toclamp in place a metering blade 110. The frame 100 may also support ametering roller 105, and in some embodiments, a displacement blade 115.

An applicator motor 120 may be coupled to the metering roller 105 usingan applicator coupling 125. The applicator motor 120 may control therotation of the metering roller 105, and thereby control the amount ofseasoning that ultimately reaches the snack food product below themetering roller 105.

As shown in FIGS. 3B and 3C, which are enlarged views of a portion ofthe seasoning applicator 20, the metering roller 105 may rotate againstthe metering blade 110. The metering blade 110 may be oriented at aparticular angle with respect to the metering roller 105, for examplethe metering blade 110 may be oriented between 30 and 35 degrees fromhorizontal. This may ensure that the metering roller 105 dispenses theseasoning once the metering roller 105 has rotated past the meteringblade 110, and gravity acts to cause the seasoning contained inindentations 130 in the metering roller 105 to fall to the productbelow. The metering blade 110 may be made of a flexible non-metallicmaterial, such as rubber. In addition, the pressure the metering blade110 exerts on the metering roller 105 may be increased or decreaseddepending on the application. In some embodiments, the pressure themetering blade 110 exerts on roller 105 may be sufficient to ensureleveling of the seasoning in the indentations 130. Additional pressuremay be applied, but this may result in slightly increased wear on themetering blade 110. Pressure adjustments may be done through visualinspection of the interaction of the metering blade 130 with the roller105.

The metering roller 105 may be made of polished metal and may be coatedwith a hard industrial food grade anodized surface. This may increasethe metering roller's 105 resistance to wear and may also result in lessfriction between the metering roller 105 and the metering blade 110. Themetering roller 105 may also include various patterns of indentations130 (see FIGS. 4A and 4B). In the embodiment shown, the indentations 130are oriented to ensure a proper angle to release the seasoning onto thesnack food below. For example, the release angle of the seasoning may bebetween 135 and 160 degrees.

In operation, the applicator coupling 125 transfers the power of theapplicator motor 120 to the metering roller 105 causing it to rotate(see FIG. 2). As the metering roller 105 rotates, it rotates through theseasoning that has collected in the metering tray 95, and theindentations 130 in the metering roller 105 fill with the seasoning. Asthe metering roller 105 continues to rotate, the filled indentations 130pass by the metering blade 110, which levels the seasoning and preventsexcess seasoning from falling on the snack food product below. Thus,this excess seasoning remains in the metering tray 95. The meteringblade 110 ensures that only the seasoning that has been captured by theindentations 130 pass it and is deposited on the product below. This mayensure a precise measurement of seasoning that can be consistentlyapplied. Also, only the necessary seasoning is dispensed, so seasoningwaste may be significantly reduced. Because each indentation 130 holds aprecise and measurable amount of seasoning and the number ofindentations 130 in the metering roller 105 is known, an accurate amountof seasoning dispensed per revolution of the metering roller 105 may becalculated. Thus, depending on the particular application, the amount ofseasoning applied to the product may be accurately controlled byincreasing or decreasing the rotational speed of the metering roller105. The applicator motor 120 may control the rotational speed of themetering roller 105, and the applicator motor 120 may be controlled by apotentiometer. This precise control may reduce or eliminate guesswork ora catch test that may be required with conventional seasoning systems.

The number of indentations 130 and their depth may control the amount ofseasoning that is dispensed. In the embodiment shown, the orientation ofthe indentations 130 may cause a curtain-like flow of seasoning onto theproduct. In alternate embodiments, the depth and/or the diameter of theindentations 130 may be modified consistent with the teachings of thepresent disclosure to allow more or less seasoning to be deposited onthe snack food. For example, as shown in FIG. 4B, the indentations 130may be spaced apart a certain distance, such that there may be a breakin the curtain-like flow of the seasoning, where no seasoning isdispensed. Thus, there may be a column-like flow of seasoning in thisembodiment. Any configuration of indentations in the metering roller 105suitable for the particular application may be used in accordance withthe teachings of the present disclosure.

As shown in the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 3D, the metering roller105 may also rotate against a displacement blade 115. The displacementblade 115 may be oriented approximately 180 degrees from the meteringblade 110, such that the indentations 130 in metering roller 105 mayencounter the displacement blade 115 after the indentations 130 haverotated past the metering blade 110 and may have deposited some of theircontents on the product. In certain applications, certain seasoning suchas cheese, sour cream, French onion, and others may have a consistencythat causes it to stick to the roller, such that the rotation of themetering roller 105 and gravity may not dispense all of the seasoning.These seasonings may be at least partially lactose based. Conventionalseasoning systems often use flow agents to dispense this type ofseasoning. However, in accordance with an embodiment of the presentdisclosure, the displacement blade 115 may dispense seasoning with theabove-described consistency without the need of a flow agent.

The displacement blade 115 may include a plurality of teeth 135. Theteeth 135 may correspond to the indentations 130 in the metering roller105. That is, the teeth 135 may have a width that is equal to thediameter of the indentations 130 and may be located such that each tooth135 can mesh with a corresponding indentation 130. Thus, when theindentations 130 encounter the displacement blade 115, the teeth 135positively displace the remaining seasoning from the indentations 130.This displaced seasoning can then fall on the product below.

FIG. 5 is a somewhat simplified flow diagram illustrating a method 140of flavoring food, for example snack food. It should be understood thatthe method 140 shown in FIG. 5 is for illustrative purposes only andthat any other suitable method or sub-method could be used inconjunction with or in lieu of the method 140 according to an embodimentof the present disclosure. It should also be understood that the stepsof method 140 could be performed in any suitable order or manner.

The method 140 begins at step 145 where a food flavoring, such asseasoning for a snack food is deposited on the metering tray 95. Asdescribed above, the food flavoring may enter the seasoning system 10through the hopper 25, pass through the seasoning feeder 15 and betransported by the auger 35 where it can pass through the slots 90 andfall into the metering tray 95. At step 150, the metering roller 105rotates through the food flavoring that has been deposited in themetering tray 95. By rotating the metering roller 105 through the foodflavoring, the indentations 130 in the metering roller 105 can capturethe food flavoring and fill the indentations 130, at step 155.

At step 160, the metering blade 110 levels the food flavoring in theindentations 130 by preventing the excess food flavoring from movingpast the metering blade 110. This leveling action may ensure that aprecise amount of food flavoring is captured by the indentations 130,and that precise amount can be deposited on the food product. As themetering roller 105 continues to rotate past the metering blade 110, thefood flavoring in the indentations 130 may be dispensed onto the foodproduct below, at step 165.

In certain embodiments, some or all of the food flavoring may stick tothe walls of the indentations 130, such that less than all of the foodflavoring is dispensed once the metering roller 105 rotates past themetering blade 110. In this case, the remaining food flavoring in theindentations 130 can be dispensed onto the food product by the teeth 135of the displacement blade 115, at step 170, and the method ends. Afterthe food flavoring is dispensed from the particular indentations 130,the same indentations 130 may continue to rotate and be filled with foodflavoring that is in the metering tray 95, and the dispensing processrepeats.

It may be advantageous to set forth definitions of certain words andphrases used in this patent document. The term “couple” and itsderivatives refer to any direct or indirect communication between two ormore elements, whether or not those elements are in physical contactwith one another. The terms “include” and “comprise,” as well asderivatives thereof, mean inclusion without limitation. The term “or” isinclusive, meaning and/or. The phrases “associated with” and “associatedtherewith,” as well as derivatives thereof, may mean to include, beincluded within, interconnect with, contain, be contained within,connect to or with, couple to or with, be communicable with, cooperatewith, interleave, juxtapose, be proximate to, be bound to or with, have,have a property of, or the like.

While this disclosure has described certain embodiments and generallyassociated methods and alterations, permutations of these embodimentsand methods will be apparent to those skilled in the art. Accordingly,the above description of example embodiments does not define orconstrain this disclosure. Other changes, substitutions, and alterationsare also possible without departing from the spirit and scope of thisdisclosure, as defined by the following claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A system for flavoring food, comprising: ametering tray coupled to a frame and configured to hold a foodflavoring; a metering roller coupled to the frame, the metering rollerhaving an exterior axial surface defining a plurality of indentations,the plurality of indentations being configured to capture the foodflavoring as the metering roller rotates the plurality of indentationsthrough the metering tray; a metering blade coupled to the frame, themetering blade configured to level the captured food flavoring as themetering roller rotates and before the leveled food flavoring isdispensed from the plurality of indentations; and a displacement bladecoupled to the frame, the displacement blade comprising a plurality ofteeth configured to correspond to the plurality of indentations.
 2. Thesystem of claim 1, the displacement blade oriented at an angle of about180 degrees relative to the metering blade.
 3. The system of claim 1,the metering blade oriented at an angle between about 30 and about 35degrees relative to a horizontal plane.
 4. The system of claim 1,further comprising: an applicator motor configured to control arotational speed of the metering roller to control an amount of foodflavoring dispensed.
 5. The system of claim 1, wherein a pressureapplied by the metering blade against the metering roller is variable.6. The system of claim 1, wherein the metering blade is formed of aflexible non-metallic material.
 7. The system of claim 1, wherein themetering blade is formed of rubber.
 8. The system of claim 1, whereinthe metering roller is formed of a polished metallic material.
 9. Thesystem of claim 8, wherein the metering roller is coated with a hardindustrial food grade anodized surface.
 10. The system of claim 1,wherein the plurality of indentations is configured in a patterncorresponding to a desired location and volume of dispensed foodflavoring.
 11. The system of claim 10, wherein the pattern of theplurality of indentations comprises a first plurality of indentations ata proximal end of the metering roller and a second plurality ofindentations at a distal end of the metering roller.
 12. The system ofclaim 10, wherein the pattern of the plurality of indentations comprisesa first plurality of indentations and a second plurality of indentationsseparated by a longitudinal space along the metering roller.
 13. Thesystem of claim 10, wherein each of the plurality of indentationsdefines a release angle between an interior wall of the indentation andthe exterior axial surface of the metering roller, and wherein therelease angle of at least one of the plurality of indentations isbetween about 135 degrees and about 160 degrees.
 14. A method offlavoring food, comprising: depositing a food flavoring into a meteringtray; capturing the food flavoring in the metering tray with a pluralityof indentations disposed along an exterior axial surface of a meteringroller; leveling the food flavoring within the plurality of indentationswith a metering blade; dispensing the food flavoring from the pluralityof indentations as the metering roller rotates beyond the meteringblade; and displacing the food flavoring from the plurality ofindentations using a displacement blade having a plurality of teeth, theplurality of teeth corresponding to the plurality of indentations. 15.The method of claim 14, further comprising: selecting a pattern for theplurality of indentations to control a location and volume of foodflavoring dispensed.
 16. The method of claim 14, further comprising:controlling a rotational speed of the metering roller to control avolume of food flavoring dispensed.
 17. The method of claim 14, furthercomprising: controlling a pressure applied by the metering blade againstthe metering roller to control a volume of food flavoring dispensed.